Around the Year in 52 Books discussion
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[2021] The Wild Discussion
Avery wrote: "Here's a few random groups of things floating around in my head for multi-weeks, but they definitely all still need to be refined and thought-out more.4 books related to the 4 pillars of health (..."
I also really like the Past, Present, Future idea. Like many others it seems, I don't love multiweek prompts that don't really feel connected, but I feel like this one lends itself well to comparison between the books.
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This does make me think about ways to fill a prompt like that while keeping a consistent theme, especially because we've talked about a few prompts that could be done with both historical fiction and science fiction. Past/present/future books about technological advancements, about oppression, about a young adult character, a love story - anything that might be interesting to compare the old way of doing something, to the present way, to the possible future way.
I seem to be the opposite of most of the readers here in that I love the cute multi-week categories that relate only by the saying. But seems like a lot of people like the past/present/future multi week! Everyone feel free to suggest or edit any of those suggestions... I may have to hold my suggestion/second for the BBB prompt since I have a soft spot for it haha!
I'm not strongly invested in multi-week prompts in general, but I tend to prefer the ones where the books don't necessarily have to be linked. I usually try to plan it so I read all 2-4 of the books for a multi-week in a row anyway, so that is enough of a connection for me. It really heavily depends on what the prompt itself is though. I feel like we sometimes get attached to the idea of having a multi-week prompt on principle, regardless of what that prompt is. For me, the ones that are the most fun are where the prompts are linked in some way (like Avery said above with the sayings), because that feels more "multi-week" to me than 3 related books somehow.
I'm planning to nominate the "book primarily set indoors" and "book primarily set outdoors" as a pair for multi.I think it ties in well to quarantine times without being too much of an "in your face" reminder. An it's only a two-week prompt so less offensive to those of us (including me) who don't love extended multi-week prompts.
Steve wrote: "I'm planning to nominate the "book primarily set indoors" and "book primarily set outdoors" as a pair for multi.I think it ties in well to quarantine times without being too much of an "in your f..."
I like that idea Steve. Again, two books by the same author would be a good connection for those who want more difficulty.
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I love the Past, Present, Future one (although my 90s middle school self squealed at the Spice Girls). One idea would be a connection in characters. I read A Murder in Time featuring an FBI agent sent back to the 1800s and Head On featuring a future FBI agent back to back. I'd love to do that again. Maybe even Sherlock retells.
I'd vote for BBB again! I'd rather have the link be in the prompts rather than the books, because sometimes I just change my mind about wanting to read something and that throws out plans if you've already read one of the books for the prompt.I would also rather not have a choice of 3 things from a list of 5 things (sorry Spice Girls!).
I like the indoors/outdoors one. Past, present, future always appeals to me and I think it's an easy one to create your own links with if that's your thing.
The BBB prompt sounds like a lot of fun, and seems rather flexible. Aside from that though, having multiple prompts that are 3 each sounds like quite a bit! I would vote for BBB then 1-2 that are 2-week prompts.
I like Past, Present and Future, Indoors/Outdoors and Two Truths and a Lie.Like others have said, it's difficult to plan ahead if the prompts are too closely based on what the book is about (you can't always tell from a synopsis), but all of these prompts should be easy enough to find books for without having to know too much about the book.
Also, I like the idea of reading books by the same author for the multi-week prompts, as a sort of extra challenge for those who want it.
I'm not sure if I've ever read a book that is set primarily indoors (excluding books set inside spaceships). Can you give some examples?
I voted BBB last year and would do so again this year. It seems to have a lot of potential. Don't mind the Past, Present, Future one either. Looks like we are going to have a lot of good multi prompts to choose from.
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Nadine wrote: "I'm not sure if I've ever read a book that is set primarily indoors (excluding books set inside spaceships). Can you give some examples?"From memory, these books strike me as ones where they were indoors a lot: Bird Box, The Flatshare, The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle, The Warehouse, The Last, Room, Seven Days of Us.
But yes, space ships would be an easy option!
If you're willing to be a bit looser, or if the prompt was framed "inside/outside" instead of "indoors/outdoors," you could also use books that are predominantly about internal feelings/journeys rather than exterior ones. I'm thinking about Normal People, which I think mostly takes place indoors, but more significantly, takes place very much inside the characters' heads.
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Nadine wrote: "I'm not sure if I've ever read a book that is set primarily indoors (excluding books set inside spaceships). Can you give some examples?"In addition to the above, many classic detective novels and thrillers are set indoors, be it in stately mansions over the weekend or people snowed in at a remote location. A prime example is Murder on the Orient Express (aboard a train stuck in the snow is definitely indoors, I would say). It also says "primarily," so it's OK for the characters to venture outside occasionally as long as the majority of the action (and, in the case of detective novels, the dénouement) takes place inside.
Also haunted house books are mostly set in the house.
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Absolutely, it's all about the indoors!
Nadine wrote: "I'm not sure if I've ever read a book that is set primarily indoors (excluding books set inside spaceships). Can you give some examples?"In addition to the examples others have given, lots of books featuring introverted characters, or characters who work in an office, are primarily set indoors. For example, The Hating Game is set mostly either in the characters' homes or in their work office. Books set in boarding schools tend to be primarily indoors. Any book about a person in a hospital or with an illness will usually be primarily indoors. And like others have said, a lot of horror and thriller novels are set indoors, like The Shining and Before I Go to Sleep.
In fact, I think I've read more books that are primarily set indoors than books were the protagonist is mostly outdoors!
Boarding schools are a good point. I haven't checked, but at a guess even Harry Potter may be set more inside Hogwarts than out of it (except the seventh book of course).
Conny wrote: "Boarding schools are a good point. I haven't checked, but at a guess even Harry Potter may be set more inside Hogwarts than out of it (except the seventh book of course)."Yes, I was thinking that! Aside from the 7th book, I'd say Books 1-6 are definitely set indoors more often that outdoors. They're primary set at Hogwarts (or the Durlsey's, Weasley's, etc) and outdoor scenes are usually for brief outings or certain classes.
So just an idea I was thinking of nominating in the morning but wanted to see some thoughts. 1. Authors name starts or ends with A
2. Authors name starts or ends with T
3. Authors name starts or ends with Y
Steve wrote: "I'm planning to nominate the "book primarily set indoors" and "book primarily set outdoors" as a pair for multi.I really hope Steve will make it to the suggestions thread in time, because I really like this one!
I loved the BBB idea last year, but I'm doing it already this year as part of my rejects challenge so I'm likely not going to vote for it again. I also kind of like Past, Present and Future, but the only one I really feel strongly about is the author names less than 7 letters and more than 14 letters. That's a definite upvote for me.
Rachel wrote: "I loved the BBB idea last year, but I'm doing it already this year as part of my rejects challenge so I'm likely not going to vote for it again. I also kind of like Past, Present and Future, but th..."What's your rejects challenge? This is my first year being part of the voting process and there are a lot of prompts I'm sad won't make it on the list
Alicia wrote: "What's your rejects challenge?"I also do a rejects challenge, Alicia. This year I chose twelve of the prompts that didn't make it. I have completed nine of those, so I might go back and add another ten. The rejected prompts are listed on the Group Spreadsheet, so easy to track and it means if you loved a prompt that didn't make the list you can still do it. :)
Alicia wrote: "Rachel wrote: "I loved the BBB idea last year, but I'm doing it already this year as part of my rejects challenge so I'm likely not going to vote for it again. I also kind of like Past, Present and..."I took the prompts that I had personally voted for that didn't make the list, as well as some leftovers of prompts that I didn't get to from my side challenges last year. It was a list of about 80 in total, but my goal is to finish them by the end of 2021, not this year.
Thanks Sara and Rachel! I think I'm going to do that next year. I'm going to finish up both this and the PopSugar challenge in the next month or two and now I need/want more challenges!
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The best part of a rejects challenge is that you make it up yourself, so you can do literally as many or as little as you want and whatever rules you feel you need to put on yourself (maybe it's reading only from your shelves, or reading only prompts you voted on that didn't make the cut, or only prompts that were in the bottom). It's a fun addition to the main challenge!
I usually do a rejects challenge after completing AtY and Popsugar. I haven't decided yet if I will be doing that this year or not. I want to say no, that I need a break.....but then when I finish PS, I will probably start on rejects anyway. Habits! lol
Rachel wrote: "I loved the BBB idea last year, but I'm doing it already this year as part of my rejects challenge so I'm likely not going to vote for it again. I also kind of like Past, Present and Future, but th..."What is the BBB idea? Also, I can't find where polarizing is explained. Is it one that gets as many up votes as down votes? TIA.
I always compile a reject challenge and then fail to do it! I tend to take most the year to finish ATY and popsugar though so I don't really have the capacity for it. It's just hard to resist making another list!
This is the first year I’ve done a rejects challenge, I just added the nominated prompts from last year that I really liked that didn’t get voted in. I ended up with 34 and I’ve got 20 still to do. In many cases a book I read for the main challenge also worked for the rejects challenge. I no longer worry as much when my favourite prompts never make the list.
Haha I do love lists, which is probably why now I feel confused about how my last few months will be without another book list! I also like too many of the multi-week prompts, so I know next year I have to at least knock those out, if nothing else.
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BBB is Beauty Brains Brawn, a suggestion for the current poll.
Polarizing is exactly what you thought, prompts that get pretty much the same number of up and down votes but we usually only mention them if they got a lot of votes. So like if a prompt got say 40 upvotes and 40 downvotes we would mention it as 'polarizing' in the results. Mostly so people can think about whether or not they would want to resubmit it.
Which reminds me: Do we specifically have to submit "A book from the polarizing or close call suggestions" as a suggestion or will that option be added anyway? It's been in most past challenges I remember, so I sort of assumed it will be a given, but perhaps that was always due to it making the pre-poll? (This is my first year actively participating in the whole voting process, so aplogies if the question has been asked a gazillion times before.)So just to be on the safe side, should I submit "A prompt suggestion that did not make the final list" in one of the future polls? I've always liked that one, because it is at the same time a staple and a chance to use a suggestion you really loved or that one outlandish prompt which just happens to fit a book on your TBR to a T.
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Some ways to frame it that could make it more interesting for people who didn't vote for it in the pre-poll:
- A book that fits a close calls or polarizing prompt suggestion
- A book that fits a prompt suggestion that was in the bottom of the votes
- A book that fits a prompt suggestion you voted for that didn't make it on the list
- A book that fits a prompt suggestion on someone else's reject challenge
I personally would vote for the CC/polarizing or bottom one, but maybe not for a generic one since it feels like a freebie. Just a personal suggestion though!
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https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
Thank you, Emily, I will keep that in mind for a later poll. Would really love to see that prompt because there is always one really, really cool rejected prompt which would be perfect for something on my TBR^^
This may have been asked and answered already, but are the prompts that didn't make it in during the pre-poll still eligible to be suggested again, or are they counted out like a bottom vote?
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Emily wrote: "It is usually included in the pre-poll, but last year we didn't have a pre-poll and someone suggested it and it made it in. You may want to wait until later in the polling process to make the sugge..."I love this prompt!! But I'd prefer the third to the first or second because it would give more freedom than just choosing from the bottom prompts, or just the polarizing/close call prompts (in case our personal favorite is in the other category). Perhaps the wording can be edited to say "A book that fits a prompt suggestion you like or wanted that didn't make it on the list" for the people who didn't vote? Or those who vote with mostly downvotes?
Looking forward to vote for that prompt either way!
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Around the Year in 52 Books
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Pretty much like a normal poll. We're not trying to overcomplicate things. There won't be limits on like the total number of weeks involved; so it's not a contest between having two 2-weekers or one 4-weeker. We're just going to have this one poll for them and then after that no more multiweek prompts.